L

Leadership

To be a leader and take on a leadership role (the person ultimately accountable) requires that person to have followers those working with and for them to deliver theirs and the organisations vision and strategic objectives.

Learning

A relatively permanent change in behaviour that can be measured, the learning occurs by gaining new knowledge and skills from learning, study, instruction or training.

Learning & Development (L&D)

Is the management, provision and facilitation of learning and development of individuals, teams and organisations.

Learning Activities

Events, workshops or exercises that are intended to promote learning.

Learning Analysis

Analysis of each task or competency area to determine what the learner should be able to do upon completion of training and how well they must be able to do it, this includes what skills and knowledge they must be taught in order to meet the end-of-training requirement.

Learning Content Management System (LCMS)

An online management system used to manage learning content. This a platform for subject matter experts and role models to create and host reusable content to avoid duplication of development and captures the best practise to avoid brain drain (people leaving and taking their best practise and expertise with them).

Learning Curve

A measurement curve (graph) reflecting the rate of improvement in performing a new task as a learner practices and uses their newly acquired skills.

Learning Decay

Is the decrease of learned knowledge and skills over a period of time, decay can simply be caused by lack or practise when back in the workplace.

Learning Management System (LMS)

Software that has the ability to track, deliver and manage training and development. In many organisations it encourages learning driven development by providing navigation and access to available training both on and off line. It is also used as a reference point for other learning available e.g. library, CD’s, DVD’s etc, recording of what each person has completed linking into organisational performance management.

Learning Needs Analysis (LNA)

Will monitor and assess an organisations capabilities and performance, alongside any available skills/knowledge/competence to identify the learning requirements of the organisation and its employees.

Learning Needs Survey

Is a method for conducting a Learning Needs Analysis to establish the needs of individuals and the organisation. A questionnaire is completed by all of the employees and/or customers/contacts of an organisation to determine where the areas of improvement are needed and this determines its learning needs.

Learning Objective

A statement of what the learners will be expected to do when they have completed a specified course or programme.

Learning Organisation

An organisation committed to training and developing all of their staff as part of its overall organisational development strategy, to deliver and satisfy business demands/needs to achieve success.

Learning Outcomes and Learning Objectives

Pre-determined goals specified before a learning event commences to measure the relative success of the event.

Learning Portal

Any Website that offers learners or organisations consolidated access to learning and training resources from multiple sources.

Learning Styles – Honey and Mumford

An individual’s preference to using one’s cognitive abilities and physiological factors that serve as relatively stable indicators of how they perceive, interact with, and respond to the learning environment. There are two main characteristics of learning they are – right brain (intuitive, spontaneous, qualitative) and left brain (factual, analytical and quantitative), the third is whole brain which as it says uses the whole brain and therefore there is little preference to the way they learn and an example of a whole brain person was Walt Disney.

In 1982 research completed on Learning Styles by Peter Honey and Alan Mumford concluded that from the right and left characteristics of the brain there comes 4 main learning styles, the style an individual prefers to learn in is directly linked to the type of personality they have.

Right brain dominance will be demonstrated by an Activist or Pragmatist learning style – they will prefer pictures, mind maps, might be doodlers, will respond to humour and may be animated people. They can work from Z-A. Left brain dominance will be demonstrated by a Reflector or Theorist learning style – they will like to see an agenda, like logic sequencing and detail, be organised and methodical. They can work from A-Z.

Learning Style: Activist – likes to be involved in new experiences and are enthusiastic about new ideas. They enjoy doing things and tend to act first and consider the implications afterwards. They are unlikely to prepare for the learning experience or review their learning afterwards.
Activists learn best when: involved in new experiences, problems and opportunities, working with others in team tasks or role-playing, being thrown in the deep end with a difficult task, chairing meetings, leading discussions.
Activists learn less when: listening to lectures or long explanations, reading, writing or thinking on their own, absorbing and understanding data, following precise instruction to the letter.

Learning Style: Pragmatist – are eager to try things out. They like concepts that can be applied to their job. They tend to be impatient with lengthy discussions and are practical and down to earth.
Pragmatists learn best when: there is a link between the topic and job, they have the chance to try out techniques, they are shown techniques with obvious advantages such as saving time, they are shown a model they can copy.
Pragmatists learn less when: there is no obvious or immediate benefit that they can recognise, there is no practice or guidelines on how to do it, there is no apparent benefit to the learning, the event or learning is ‘all theory’.

Learning Style: Reflector – like to view the situation from different perspectives. They like to collect data, review and think carefully before coming to any conclusions. They enjoy observing others and will listen to their views before offering their own.
Reflectors learn best when: observing individuals or groups at work, reviewing what has happened and thinking about what they have learned, producing analysis and reports doing tasks without tight deadlines.
Reflectors learn less when: acting as leader or role-playing in front of others, doing things with no time to prepare, being thrown in at the deep end, being rushed or worried by deadlines.

Learning Style: Theorists – like to adapt and integrate observations into complex and logically sound theories. They think problems through step-by-step. They tend to be perfectionists who like to fit things into a rational scheme.
Theorists learn best when: put in complex situations where, they have to use their skills and knowledge, they are in structured situations with clear purpose, they are offered interesting ideas or concepts even though they are not immediately relevant, they have the chance to question and probe ideas.
Theorists learn less when: they have to participate in situations which emphasise emotion and feelings, the activity is unstructured or briefing is poor, they have to do things without knowing the principles or concepts involved, they feel they’re out of tune with other participants, e.g. people with different learning styles.

Lifelong Learning

The concept of ‘continuous personal development’ through a learners self-actualised learning.

LOT (Listen, Open Questions, Timing)

A simple tried and tested answering strategy for achieving better outcomes from influencing when faced with objections.

L – Listen to what is really being said.

O – Open Questions will help you understand what lies beneath an objection.